“Amateurs buy at open, professionals buy at close”

This is a wisdom that stock market investors should pay attention to. It is a price action that can be observed in the market; it offers plenty of clues about market sentiment at the moment. It fairly tells what stock market professionals are doing. If professionals buy, follow closely; if professionals sell, keep eyes on exit at all times.

Daily price action

Trading days that open high and close higher end on a positive note. Everyone who bought that day is a winner. Trading days that open high close low end on a negative note. Buying did not follow through so there are many losers.

How did the saying ‘amateurs buy at open, professionals buy at close come about”?

It is observed that stock market amateurs rush to buy at open following overnight bullishness in other markets. They are driven by fear of missing out a rally. Professionals on the other hand are more concerned about the risk of carrying a position forward. They therefore buy (commit to a position) at or near to close.

Open high close low sign of professionals selling when going is good

Black days driven by professional selling; ominous sign

Trading days that open high close low in an uptrend are worrying. It is a sign that professionals are behind selling, not buying.

Combined with topping price action or price approaching resistance, signs from the Straits Times Index suggests that 1) stock market professionals are selling on days when price is good, 2) amateurs are left holding the bag and 3) if price turns down, the market could be full of weak players.

“Dear reader, I do not have a financial license to give advice. I do not know you the reader. Your financial objective and risk tolerance may be different from mine. I am not responsible for any consequence of your action.

A new perspective for me. Thank you, grandmaster. questions: (1) wrt a shooting star with a white/bullish body, is this a sign of profit taking by professional traders (2) a shooting star with a black/bearish body is confirmed a sign of professionals selling, I suppose? Thank you in advance.

Shooting stars are candlesticks that are bearish. The long tail overhead shows that price was unable to close near to trading high so there is certain amount of selling.

In the context of “Amateurs buy at open, professionals buy at close” I would say that both white and black shooting stars are bearish although a black one is more bearish than the other. Looking for a trading signal, one should still look for confirmation on the following candlestick. They are most effective when they coincide with overhead resistance; in fact existence of a resistance at all is a critical requirement.